Monday, January 2, 2012

A new house for Jennifer

Jennifer Aniston has just bought a grand three bedroom apartment in the West Village, near Gramercy Park, in New York.

With a price close to $9,000,000 she can afford to have beautiful views of the park, incredible natural light, a real fireplace for cold evenings, gorgeous woodfloors and a spa-like bathroom for relaxing. The building amenities include housekeeping, valet, room service, event planning, butler service and many more features of the Gramercy Hotel.

Living room

Kitchen - Den

Master bedroom

Hint Hint...Aniston’s new apartment features not one but two nurseries.

Jennifer, if you need someone to help you re-decorate just give us a shout!

In the meantime let's pretend we can change some things around before she calls her Interior designer (I hope she will call the great NewYorkerVicente Wolf !). Let's start the game...keeping the budget low.

Here is another view of the living room, dining area and kitchen in the background:

Personally I love the layout of the apartment, a huge open space and large windows. I may start suggesting for the image above some work on the walls (structure permitting) to better open up the transition from entry to living to kitchen and create more harmonious lines.

Rugs: Why are some legs of the sofa outside the rug? It makes me uncomfortable already..I would buy a larger rug for the (new, more contemporary) sofas and a rug under the dining table to better define the space.

Lights: The chandelier in the kitchen area should hang lower on the small (too small) table and be a more modern type, creating a bigger statement, perhaps a multi-spheres as Omer Arbel's Bocci?

Dining table: I am never too fond of many chairs (if we keep them they definetely need re-upholstery) around a table, unless it is a formal separate dining room (even then...) so I would decorate the table more like a big desk, with table lamps, books, special objects (but all easy to move for a dinner with friends) since the table is also part of the living room.
Something like this..

Drapes? I love drapes most of the time but I believe they don't really belong here, shades to filter the intense light would be more appropriate for the simple loft-like architecture of the space.

Art? It definetely needs to be edited and re-arranged. Art is very personal and often I don't interfere with my clients choices, but gently suggest appropriate pieces or re-arrangements.

And on and on...

I started with one image and just a few suggestions, can you imagine what I have to say for the master bedroom?

3 comments:

I'm in complete agreement regarding the living room. Perhaps a large early 19th c. center table or the library/dining area. Personally, all of the furniture would have to go. Two nurseries, Pleeeeeeese. As for the bedroom: beautiful fabric headboard to start; shades and perhaps rich heavy Belgium linen drapes; stunning cases pieces and sitting area. Perhaps a neoclassical antique pieces or two for interest, (maybe a hint or two of either gold or silver) but keeping the tone sparse and understated. Helen Frankenthaler art work?? Thanks for the homework. Mary

Despite the calm soft hue of the wallpaper which runs even on the ceiling, the Master bedroom displays an annoying lack of coordination between too many patterns and needs a serious change. Only replacing the curtains with something in a plain warm color taken from the carpet's color scheme can make a huge difference.

Why would we keep the redecorating budget low for a $9M apartment?? It looks like a great place and Vicente Wolf would be a great choice for her. I imagine that the furnishings in the photos were just for staging? It has that overthought but underdone look. Def. not lived in. I could see a mix of modern art, classic lighting (although I love the bocce ball pendants - those are a yes!), lots of comfy furniture, rugs to pad around on barefoot. Some sparkle, some cozy. She seems that sort.

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